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Friday, March 29, 2013

There have been a few things that I've been craving during pregnancy: spicy tuna rolls (and sushi in general), reubens, frozen Greek yogurt, and gyros. So when I received A Seasoned Greeting's blog for the swap, I was super excited to find these gyros. Even better was that it used only 1/2 a pita since I'm trying to limit my carb intake right now in the event that I have gestational diabetes.

Because it's still (literally) freezing out, I was excited to use my new grill pan that my husband got me for Christmas. It worked like a charm and created these gorgeous grill lines on the chicken. The only thing I'm not so sure about is how to clean it. I really should have oiled the pan first because I got some nice charred bits stuck to my now not-so-new and now extra-seasoned grill pan.

Now, it wasn't until I was sitting down to blog about this recipe that I made a *really* similar one many years ago. No matter, it didn't make this version any less delicious and it certainly fulfilled one of my cravings so thank you, Catherine!

Thank you to Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking for being our awesome What's Cooking swap hostess and be sure to check out the rest of the group's collection in the blog hop, below. You never know what great recipes you'll find!

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel or cheesecloth and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. For best flavor, allow the flavors to meld overnight.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Any Nutella fans in the house? How about fudge fans? Salted sweets? Yeah, I got all of that here today and it's wrapped up in a neat little square of love.

Way back when I made my Homemade Nutella I decided I needed to find ways to use all of it. This fudge was just one of the recipes that I made. I'll admit I hesitated at first. I mean the last time I tried to make fudge, it was an epic failure and didn't set! But I was ready to tackle my fears again and this fudge recipe didn't require me to boil the mixture to a certain temperature in order for it to set properly.

I made it and held my breath. Visually, mine looked softer than the photo for the original recipe. I think this was as a result of my Homemade Nutella being a bit thinner than store-bought to begin with. I had to store the fudge in the freezer first to get a good firm cutting texture. But I forged on and what resulted were smooth melt in your mouth bites of goodness. Success in my mind!

Form a double-boiler by setting the bowl on a medium pot of gently simmering water. The water level should be lower than the bottom of the bowl. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, 5 to 7 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Refrigerate until the fudge is firm, at least 2 hours.

Run a knife under hot water, dry it off, and run it around the edges of the pan to loosen the fudge. Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the fudge out. Peel off the parchment paper. Cut the fudge into 3/4-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil.

Monday, March 25, 2013

There's something about cold weather that makes me want to bake. Enter this gorgeous artisan bread. It looks like something straight out of a fancy bakery and yet I made it in my own home. In a pot. Free of preservatives. And it was easy! All it takes is a bit of patience to wait for the magic to happen. You're rewarded with a crispy crust (how does it do that??) and fluffy interior.

About 4 cups (20 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

A few big pinches of coarse ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

Olive oil, coarse sea salt, and chili flakes for topping

Directions

Sprinkle yeast over warm water, add pinch of sugar and stir gently. Allow yeast and warm water to rest, foam and froth for about 5 minutes. If yeast does not foam and froth after 5 minutes, toss it and start over again with new yeast.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. When butter is melted, remove from heat and add herbs, chili flake, and garlic. Set aside.

Place flour in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a bread hook. Add salt and pepper. Pour in activated yeast mixture, and butter mixture. Stir on low speed, with the dough hook, for about 10 to 12 minutes. The dough ball should clean the sides of the bowl and not stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl. The dough will be relatively smooth and supple.

Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

When dough has doubled in size, place on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes.

In a large Dutch oven, add about 2 tablespoons olive oil, to coat the bottom of the pot. Place dough in pot and use a large knife to slice a fairly deep cross into the dough. Drizzle about 3 more tablespoons of olive oil atop the bread. Sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt and pepper flakes.

Cover with tight fitting lid and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees F, remove lid, and allow to make for about 15-20 minutes more.
Remove from oven and allow to cool until easily removed from the pan. Bread will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

I've had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time now. It's one of Sarah's most popular recipes and now I understand why. Not only is it a great weeknight meal but the flavor is one that the whole family will love, too.

Have you ever noticed that ground beef pretty much never comes in one pound packages unless you buy the rolls? I always end up with 0.1, 0.3, and so on pounds of beef leftover and then I end up freezing it. Eventually, I have enough collected to create another meal and that's where this recipe came in. To stretch my ground beef further, I "beefed" it up with some mushrooms.

Then, to add more zest and to further copycat a flavor I love at my favorite Philly Cheesesteak joint, Penn Station, I substituted some tangy banana peppers for the green bell peppers. Last but not least, I found the filling juices to be a bit too runny so I recommend to reduce the beef stock. It was also lacking in flavor to me. Maybe it's the type of steak sauce I used? Sarah recommends A-1 but all I had was generic store-brand sauce. I amped mine up by adding additional steak sauce, Worcesteshire sauce, and garlic powder. All of these changes are reflected below.

If you want to simplify the recipe further, you could always put provolone cheese slices directly on top of the filling instead of creating the sauce but it's not nearly as melty this way and you can't go totally crazy with the cheese like I did. But either way, go ahead and dig in...these are super sloppy and I recommend a fork!

In large skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Drain the majority of the grease then add the onion, green pepper, banana pepper, and mushrooms and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender.

Stir in the steak sauce, beef stock, Worcestshire sauce, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste then bring up to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside.

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute until foaming. Whisk in milk, bring up to a simmer and let thicken slightly, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese. Continue to stir until melted through.

To serve, smear some mayonnaise on the top of the rolls. Place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Because I'm a horrible planner, I took this Secret Recipe Club assignment from Our Eating Habits as a way to get ahead of the game and create an Easter treat. I mean let's face it. When I post themed recipes AFTER the holiday has already occurred, it doesn't really help you out much now does it?

At first, I was going to take the healthy(er) way out by making these Carrot Muffins but then I saw the most adorably festive Easter decoration technique in my What's Cooking Blogger's Choice swap on Friday so was swayed to making the Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes on Jamie's blog instead. Because I didn't want tons of cupcakes around and all the candy makes these cupcakes super sweet, I adapted the original recipe to be mini-sized cupcakes instead.

Hope you consider adding these to your festive Easter spread and checkout the rest of the Secret Recipe Club member's reveals in the blog hop below! As usual, thank you to April of the blog Angel's Homestead SRC leader and Debbi of the blog Debbi Does Dinner, our Group C Hostess!

To make cupcake batter cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, add both extracts with last egg. Blend in all your dry ingredients, then milk.

Divide batter into prepared mini-muffin tins. Top each cupcake with frozen creme egg, pushing it in so that half of the egg is inside the batter.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F. Cool.

Meanwhile, make the buttercream by creaming together the butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla, salt, and food coloring to get desired tint.

Fit a piping bag with a multi-opening decorating tip (I use Wilton #233) and then fill with green frosting. Decorate the top of each cupcake with "grass" by holding the piping bag at 90 degrees about 1/8" above the surface of the cupcake. Apply gentle pressure while lifting up about 1/4". Stop pressure and pull tip away. Repeat until entire surface is covered. Finish by placing 3 mini egg candies on top of each cupcake.

Friday, March 15, 2013

If you have a sweet tooth, you'll love today's recipe swap theme which is dessert! This recipe comes from Nicole of Cookies on Friday and I submitted the super addicting Macadamia Lemon Bars.

When I read the ingredients list, I was concerned by the use of amaretto, an almond liquor. Now, I know that it's not much and alcohol supposedly "cooks off" but in my experience, you can usually still taste it pretty prominently in baked goods and so I wasn't convinced that it would be the best thing for my baby. Thankfully, Nicole confirmed it would be okay to substitute almond extract and so that's what I did.

This cake is EXTREMELY tender. The crumb is very delicate and I found that it fell apart as I tried to enjoy its deliciousness. The prominent flavor is the chocolate, which is enhanced by the coffee and studded with almond flavoring and pieces. My husband was completely delighted to see it sitting on our kitchen counter after he came home from the gym. He approved :).

Thanks to Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for running the swap and make sure you check out the rest of the recipes in the link hop below!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12 cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle the almonds into the pan and gently press to the bottom of the pan.

Warm your coffee in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the butter and chocolate chips and stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixer bowl. Add the sugar and amaretto, stir to combine. Allow mixture to cool 5 minutes.

With the mixer at low speed, gradually blend in the flour and baking soda into the chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and eggs and mix on medium speed about 30 minutes, or until well blended. Carefully pour into prepared pan. Be careful not to disturb the nuts too much by pouring quickly.

Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in the pan about 25 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Source: Recipe from Debbie Russell, 33rd Pillsbury BakeOff, Pillsbury Best of the BakeOff Cookbook as seen on Cookies on Friday

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Today is a bittersweet day for my husband and I because on this exact day, we should have been meeting our sweet little angel.

Planted on Earth to Bloom in Heaven

The only things that make today somewhat bearable are the fact that he or she is in a better place now and also that I'm carrying our sweet angel's baby brother or sister in my womb as we speak.

Oh yes. Did I mention on my blog that I am pregnant? 18 weeks and 3 days to be exact. I'm due August 10th and if it weren't for the occasional movement and my pants no longer fitting, I might not remember or believe it myself.

Though we'll never get to meet or hold our first precious baby, we'll always remember and love him or her. We only knew him or her for about a month but the impression that was left on our lives is lasting.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Winter is a time for steamy soups and one popular Asian version of this is called "hotpot". It's essentially the equivalent of fondue. Thin cuts of meat, dumplings, vegetables, and noodles are boiled in a soup that's placed in the center of a special cook-top table or portable propane stove. Honestly, as much as I enjoy this meal, I'm too lazy to do it myself because it requires a lot of prep and patience. Generally this is a social affair and so it's a very prolonged meal that can easily last a couple hours. Plus, if you try to rush things and put too much food in at once, the soup gets overloaded and it takes even longer to cook!

That's why I was so excited to find this recipe for hotpot. It's all the hotpot flavor that I love with a more immediate satisfaction. Sure, you lose the fun and socialization aspect but when there's just the two of us at home, I can deal with that.

The original recipe would have made an excellent Meatless Monday meal but since my husband is a carnivore, I added some shredded chicken and frozen dumplings. If I had fish, shrimp, or beef balls those would have likely made an appearance, too. Udon noodles are my favorite soup noodles but honestly, all I had on-hand was linguine so that's what we used this time. It's such a versatile recipe with a great base to get you started!

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook until slightly soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sugar, broth, water, soy sauce and sriracha sauce; cover and bring to a boil. Add the dumplings and cook for about 3 minutes. Add bok choy, chicken, and tofu, cover and simmer until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles remove from the heat and stir in cilantro.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

It's no secret that BRAVO! Cucina Italiana is one of our favorite Italian restaurants. Imagine my delight when I found Bravo recipes direct from the source so that I could make it at home! And, it's designed as 2 servings so it's perfect for my husband and I to have "date night in" :).

One of my recent favorite dishes to order is their Lemon Shrimp Florentine Pasta. The menu describes it as "sauteed shrimp tossed with tomatoes, Boursin, spinach, Feta, and linguine in a creamy lemon sauce". I just call it delicious. It's slightly tart and tangy, a bit creamy, and a treat for the taste buds. Perfect for Lent or any other time you want restaurant quality pasta at home!

1/4 lb Linguine (I felt it was a bit saucy and would recommend at least 1/3 lb)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tsp garlic, chopped

1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup vegetable stock

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp roasted garlic, pureed with oil (I roasted my own homemade roasted garlic and then mashed it up. There wasn't a lot of oil)

4 Tbsp crumbled Feta cheese, divided

2 Tbsp Boursin cheese (I used cream cheese)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

2 Tbsp toasted bread crumbs

Directions

Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. Add shrimp and cook slowly for 2 minutes. Add chopped garlic and tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add vegetable stock, lemon juice, roasted garlic, and 2 Tablespoons each of Feta and Boursin cheese. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add butter and cook to a sauce consistency. Add spinach and cooked pasta to pan. Stir to combine.

Divide into two serving plates. Garnish each plate with 1 Tablespoon of Feta cheese and 1 Tablespoon of toasted bread crumbs.

Any Chick-Fil-A fans in the house? I for one am a huge fan of their chicken, especially the spicy versions! I have seen many copycat recipes floating around the internet but have always been intimidated by them because 1) how close could they really taste? and 2) frying things and I...we don't get along.

Often times for recipe swaps I will find something to challenge me and so when I found this at Melissa's blog I was Born to Cook, I knew it was time to surrender and beat my fears.

Looking at the ingredient list there were some items that weren't surprising and then others that made me go "huh?". Take the pickle juice marinade for example. I don't even like pickles and well...that's an awful lot of juice! The powdered sugar was another interesting one...I was skeptical.

So how did it turn out? Surprisingly, it tasted eerily similar to the real Chick-Fil-A sandwiches! It didn't taste too pickle-y. Instead, it gave that great tang and saltiness that is characteristic of their chicken. The sugar also added just enough sweetness to offset it. Since I like the spicy sandwiches I added Tobasco to the pickle juice and cayenne to the spice blend. I think I would actually add more in the future because it wasn't quite to the spiciness of the real version. But overall, yep, it was good!

My only lament is I still can't fry things to save my life. Mine ended up a little more toasty than I would have desired. Still have to work on that one...